Dare I say this musical is a perfect musical for me? Yes, I absolutely do. Is it a perfect musical for everyone? Probably not, but is there really such a thing?
When Encores announced the 2024 season, I was over the moon excited about Once Upon a Mattress. The musical, having been a major contender on my favorite musicals list for quite a long time now, has such a fun and quirky score and even more eccentric story that we all know and love which creates a musical that is truly for me, perfect. That being said this musical is fun and therefore should be treated as such, you aren't expected to have a major breakthrough and you likely won't leave with a profound and new way of experiencing the world. What you will leave with? An infectious sense of joy and catchy melodies.
Once Upon a Mattress opened off-Broadway in 1959, then transferred the same year to what is now the Neil Simon Theatre. The show would bounce around Broadway theatres and would eventually close at the St. James theatre on July 2nd, 1960. Once Upon a Mattress is based on the story of The Princess and the Pea and boasts an exuberating score by Mary Rodgers and lyrics by Marshall Barer as well as a book coined by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer, and Dean Fuller. Ultimately the show would be nominated for 2 Tony's in the 1960's Tony Awards season, Best Musical and for Carol Burnett: Best Actress in a Musical.
While the show did well in its initial run, it is now popular amongst schools and community theatres because of its fairy tale aesthetic and plethora of principal roles, but it has not seen a Broadway revival since 1996. Celebrating 30 years, Encores honors musical theatre history with a series of concert stagings, and this year boasts some incredible titles. Once upon a Mattress is no exception.
Directed by Lear deBessonet, and with a new concert adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Once Upon a Mattress follows the story of The Princess and The Pea in a musical comedy of two acts. The show stars Michael Urie as Prince Dauntless and Sutton Foster as Princess Winifred. The star-studded cast does not stop there, as it also includes Nikki Renée Daniels (Lady Larken), J. Harrison Ghee (Jester), Harriet Sansom Harris (Queen Aggravain), Cheyenne Jackson (Sir Harry), Francis Jue (Wizard), and David Patrick Kelly (King Sextimus the Silent).* All of which truly shine in their respective moments at the forefront of the story.
Sutton Foster's Princess Winifred is eager to be liked by the community, specifically the Prince, and is sweet and easy to love by the audience. She is not the princess we expect, but rather the polar opposite in the most absurdly comedic way. She is quirky and juxtaposes the repressed royal community in which she's found herself suddenly within. "She swam the moat?!" a line repeated with such fierce force and comedic attentiveness is repeated over and over again by Queen Aggravain following Foster's delightfully humourous entrance. If the entrance of Princess Winifred was not enough for you, Harris's delivery of the line alone will surely have your attention immediately. Foster does not force the laughs, instead wins you over with her physical comedy, especially her impressive gymnastics atop a... you guessed it: Mattress, and with her stellar vocals. This is not to say she attempts to be or best Carol Burnett, on the contrary, her version of Fred, is simply fun and fresh in a way you could expect from a musical done many times over.
Micheal Urie, coming straight from Spamalot at the St James Theatre, also came ready to play with the physical comedy aspect. His Prince Dauntless the Drab is anything but. He manages to showcase facial expressions that still seem larger than life in the massive performance space, especially as he scurries off stage for his mug of cocoa. Urie provides a masterclass in comedy, especially in his scenes alongside Harris, and has the vocal ability to back this up.
As far as originality goes the Encores production does some rewriting to an already well-established and loved book. The character of the Minstral was removed and instead combined with the Jester, hence the removal of the song: The Minstral, The Jester, and I." This does not affect the overall understanding of the show and had I not been an avid fan of the show before seeing this production I would not have noticed its absence. J. Harrison Ghee Does more than enough to compensate for this as they stun in the Jester role, both literally and figuratively. The costumes, designed by Andrea Hood, have all the sparkle and lively colors you could ever want from a fairy tale production. This production allowed for the use of they/them pronouns for the Jester, showcasing that we can and should have diverse casting even with previously established work.
The show, being a concert staging, makes incredible use of the space with choreography by Lorin Latarro that wonderfully compliments the set, designed by David Zinn. The set design is minimal but lined with steps and platforms for the actors to fumble and leap gracefully atop. Michael Urie is one to fully take advantage of this as he playfully and exaggeratedly climbs across the stage reeling in moments that could have simply gone under the radar. The orchestral arrangements are truly stunning as anticipated with any Encores production, and I of course adore an on-stage orchestra, something I will admit to any day.
While this show is not Into the Woods or Parade in terms of the obvious transfer to Broadway as it simply lacks the following, and outside of the theatre community enthusiasm the aforementioned shows possess, it is an absolutely incredible Encores production with a talent-packed cast. I would love to see Once Upon a Mattress return to Broadway one day, and this production would be a wonderful one to do so; however, with the saturation of the theatre market and the capitalization on musicals with notable and currently relevant source material, I can not envision it being this season.
Personally, I will not stop thinking about this production until I get thrown one of Fred's Leeches but until then, I will accept the videos on NYCC social media to hold me over.
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